Even with the move to the South, Gathers are still a thing to look forward to, though in the Walled Hold they appear to be called Festivals instead. Either way, Gathers and Festivals are a time of fun to enjoy when they come around.

One of the odd effects of Impressing so young was that P'list outranked all the candidates, even though most of them were his age or older. He was somewhat comfortable with the odd dynamic between a (mostly) graduated rider and the candidates who were the same age he had been, but sometimes he forgot that these other teenagers he saw around the Weyr were not really his peers.

Seeing one of those candidates his own age cooing over the puppies and kittens the way he had been a little while ago didn't help him feel all that separate. He was carrying his own new pets-neither of them able to be led around on a leash under the best of circumstances, let alone an area as crowded as a gather. He heard her conversation with the merchant, and grinned at the knowledge that he wasn't the only crazy person buying two new babies on the same day. Although, apparently he was still crazier than she was if one was a gift for her brother.

As she started away, he moved to catch up to her, jostling the little ginger kitten who let out a plaintive mew from the large sling-like pouch he was tucked into. P'list had worn a sling like a baby carrier while his starlizard was growing, to keep her near him while it was light out, and he'd had the presence of mind to bring it today since he wanted a pet, and with both babies so tiny, they still easily fit inside. He kept one arm outside the sling, cradling it like a baby to provide support, while the kitten and furflit kit curled up together. The yellow fluffball poked his head out of the moving sling, his milky eyes wide open and unfocused as he mewed again, louder, just before P'list caught up with the girl.

"Hello," he said, cheerfully, to the candidate, though he was closer to making eye contact with the puppy than with her. "I'm P'list, Elahrairath's rider," and he dragged his eyes up to the girl's face and away from her cute pets. It wasn't easy. "I think I heard you say this little guy was a gift for your brother? Do you need help surprising him?" Since she'd said her brother was a rider, she had probably planned to ride back to the Weyr with him, and wouldn't be able to hide the puppy if that was her goal. If P'list helped, he could play with the puppy for a few minutes, and help a pretty girl. He couldn't see a downside at all.

As Halimila worked her way through the crowds, she could feel the heat of embarrassment staining her face and neck. For a day that had started with such promise, Mila couldn't believe her bad luck. It had taken her almost an hour to work up the courage to ask the handsome assistant candidate master for a dance. She had even made it to the man's side when a clumsy moment had some sort of beverage toppling all over her pretty Gather-dress. Sputtering as her courage faltered, Mila quickly darted away from the man and into the crowd. Now she had to find a way to repair her dress! Ducking between a pair of tall riders, Hali sat down on a nearby bench to assess the damage. A heavy groan left the teen as she realized that the stain wouldn't be a quick thing to fix. Deciding quickly to dip into her stash of marks for a new dress, Mila took off towards the dress-maker's stall that she had visited earlier that day.

Quickly deciding to distract herself from the embarrassing thoughts, Mila went over the outfits she had seen during her browsing. There were a few in her mind's eye that would be easily fitted into her budgeted spending for the day but as she neared the stall a familiar face broke into her thoughts. "That's a pretty skirt, Aranrod!" Mila called out in greeting. "I think it'll look wonderful on you!" All thoughts about her stained dress and her mishaps that morning faded as she turned her full attention to the taller girl.

Aranrod looked up from the blue skirt, smiling at the other candidate making her way through the stalls. "Thanks, I do think it will look pretty," she agreed, before frowning down at it. "I do worry that this lacing looks a little too....flirty?...for my style, though," she said, looking down again. "I mean, I guess it's better than a horribly short skirt," and now she frowned down at her own bare legs. Knee-length wasn't indecent or anything, but as she got taller, it would keep getting shorter. "But it's long enough that I'll be able to wear it even if I have another growth spurt, and I guess the length might make up for the lacing."

Then she really looked at Halimila. Her eyes widened just a little bit, then she stepped a little closer. "I've always liked this skirt I'm wearing now, but it's just not long enough for me to wear it many more times. It's nice to be taller and and able to reach all the shelves, but I hate giving up such a pretty skirt. Would you like to try it on and see if you like it after I buy this one?" Aranrod had exactly PLANNED on wearing the new skirt for the rest of the gather, but it would solve her problem and Halimila's at the same time.

Mila smiled widely and nodded as her companion commented about the skirt they both were admiring. While the garment fit into Mila's wardrobe quite nicely, Hali had to admit that it wasn't quite what she could picture the taller girl wearing. "Sometimes being a bit bolder can be a good thing," Mila commented as Aranrod took in her stained appearance. As the Harper girl suggested that Mila could try on the taller girl's current skirt, Mila's brown eyes darted down to take in the mentioned skirt. With a new blouse and scarf, Mila could agree that the skirt could fit her smaller frame nicely.

"It would save me a bit to try on yours," Mila added with a smile, "I'd just need a new blouse. One-piece dresses aren't a good thing to stain..." Her words trailed off with a flush staining her cheeks. "Not that I meant to!" She clarified quickly ducking her chin to her chest to hide the flush. From her defensive position, Mila added, "Maybe you could help me find a top? Something to fit the flow of the skirt?"

Aranrod nodded at Halimila's comment about one piece dresses. That was mostly why she avoided them....that, and the fact that she could pair a nice blouse with trousers OR a skirt depending on her mood and the circumstances. "I'd be happy to help you look for a new top," she agreed cheerfully. Shopping was always more fun when it involved spending someone else's marks, though of course she would gladly help the other girl stay within a budget as well.

She tried to visually estimate Halimila's size, and went closer to murmur to her. "Do you want to tell me how many marks you can spend, or keep completely quiet. I promise I can keep a straight face when it's time to haggle." Without waiting for an answer, she began looking for tops in either black or blue to match the skirt.

A wide smile lifted Mila's lips as the taller girl agreed to help her. It really was much more fun shopping with a friend than by one's self. The varying opinions always made for better outfits in Mila's opinion! With her attention divided between the clothing beside her and her new friend, Hali missed the appraising look of Aranrod. However the soft whisper of the Harper girl brought Mila back to her companion. "Oh!" Mila said just as softly, "I'm not concerned with prices. Papa is always around to borrow more from!" She admitted with a conspiring look in her brown eyes. "Papa loves to spoil me and Mavi," Hali said a bit louder was she continued to grin at the taller girl.

"Now, do we want to look for a matching shirt, a complementing color or something bold?" Mila asked as she trailed one finger over a blouse. "I think something a bit darker would be pretty with my hair, don't you?" She continued turning a smile towards the taller girl.

Aranrod tried not to wince at the other girl's statement that her father would always give her more marks. She had known a few young people with that kind of expectation, for some reason they always seemed to be other girls. She hoped the merchants hadn't heard Halimila. Aranrod knew from being on the other side of things, that once that got out, Halimila would end up paying top mark for everything she chose. She wasn't sure she had completely hidden her wince, so she tried to pass it off.

"Maybe we can find something acceptable in your price range, then," she said, in a skeptical tone. You just didn't announce that your budget was endless in front of merchants. And this papa might not have as endless a purse as his daughter thought, anyway. "At least you'll look good in almost any color," she added, looking at the Halimila's hair as suggested. "With my skin tone, I have to avoid yellows and pale colors. They wash me out." It was why she favored such dark colors, even though she also rather liked how dramatic they looked.

"I do think dark colors would look good with your hair, but I'm a bit biased in favor of dark colors anyway," she added with a laugh. "With your complexion I would probably go for intense colors, but those fabrics cost more than just black." She knew that Halimila claimed not to be worried about cost, but it just wasn't in her nature to ignore expense or haggling.

"Maybe you should choose a top that will match more of your skirts or trousers," she added. "I mean, you can keep the skirt once we change, since it's too short for me to be comfortable performing in it anymore. But it's always good to be able to mix outfits up."

It wasn't until Halimila noticed the other girl's reaction that Mila noticed her own mistake. Blanching a bit at her faux-pas, Hali hoped that she hadn't spoken loud enough to catch the attention of the merchants near by. Hiding her own wince with a duck of her chin, Mila barely caught the other girl's advice on coloring. It wasn't until Aranrod mentioned her bias about darker tones that Mila realized that the other girl was talking. Forcing her embarrassment down, Mila turned a bit more towards the taller girl. Nodding a bit at the offered words, Mila took a moment to go over the options before her.

"Well, we could always try to find a dark top with a bit of embroidery on it. Maybe something with flowers since this is a party?" The petite brunette offered with a small smile. This was nice, Hali decided with an inner nod. Was this what it was like to have girlfriends? While Mila was happy in her life as it was, there was a small part of the girl that missed having a larger family around her. Maybe today was the first step to making more friends. Finding out that she liked that thought, Mila decided that she would make more of an effort to befriend the other girl.